Jupiter Retrograde

Jupiter retrograde starts on April 10th. Jupiter the planet of luck and expansion. This is known as the lucky planet and indicates where we will find abundance in our life and at what times of year will be luckiest for us. Because it represents expansion it has the ability to magnify already good or bad things that are happening in our lives. Not only does it magnify the good and the bad but it also has the power to show you gifts and rewards and gives you deeper clarity on the bigger picture. Jupiter will be retrograde from April 10th to August 11th which is 4 months. A lot longer than our Mercury retrogrades. Having said that Jupiter’s is not nearly as powerful or life changing and even then so, retrogrades are not a bad or worrisome time of year despite their reputation. They are more so a time to take a step back and reflect on the situations related to that planet. This Jupiter retrograde is going to be focussing on love and relationships and you may experience changes in ares of personal growth and development, success and happiness. For Jupiter these will be things like any messages or gifts you think the universe has been trying to give to you but you might not necessarily have received them yet. This is also a great time to become more open to Jupiter and what Jupiter has to offer you. Do some digging and try to see the grander vision. Let go of ego that is holding you back and blocking the bigger picture. This is also a good time to reflect on dark experiences that we have been through. Try to find the silver lining and maybe some bit of peace and healing. There is always a silver lining no matter what and Jupiter retrograde helps us to see this. Jupiter retrograde indicates to us places in our life that need improvement. What do you need to work on to be better at every aspect of your life. Not just one thing but your relationships, your career, your health. What can be improved to make you an overall happy, healthy and open minded individual. Perhaps you are experiencing an addiction or have been arrogant or ignorant towards a certain situation. Jupiter will shed light on this and you will feel like making a change for the better. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this and do not be afraid. Time and Jupiter will test you to see if you are ready and deserving of good fortune, good romance and perhaps even material wealth. But you might have to go through some deeper issues to get to that point. Trust the process and as always healing is important to grow as a person and to finally receive what is it you actually seek. It will go direct August 11th and so there will be plenty of time to process this retrograde period. It is coming though my friends so be weary of that energy shift.

Horror Women Fridays - Christina Ricci

Christina Ricci is one of my all time fave goth cult queens and child actor turned adult actor. She definitely is known for choosing unconventional acting gigs. Somewhat dark and edgy roles. She also has a really unique look with her large eyes, pointy small nose and long dark hair. She has starred in several of my all time favourite movies; The Addams Family, Sleepy Hollow, Monster and Mermaids. She also has been in a slew of other awesome but not as favourite movies. She started as a child starring along side Winona Ryder and Cher in the charming comedy about a teenage girl coming of age story with Cher as her flighty mother and Christina Ricci as her clueless little sister. My most favourite scene in that movie is when Christina Ricci and Winona Ryder get drunk on Halloween and it somewhat reminds me of a halloween movie. She also starred as a child in Casper which is just an instant 90s classic and definitely reminds me of a halloween movie. Casper who was played by every 90s girl crush, Devon Sawa, who then of course turns into a ghost and falls for Cat played by Christina Ricci. I will never forget the scene where they dance together in the most glorious haunted house you have ever seen and start floating together.

She also starred as Wednesday Addams the iconic gothic daughter of Moritcia Addams. This role just screams icon to me. Wednesday is one of my favourite characters of all time. She starred in both Addams Family and Addams Family Values but out of the two I would say her character really develops in Addams Family Values. When the nanny insists that her and Pugsley go to summer camp, to their displeasure, Wednesday ends up becoming the lead in the camp play Pocohantas and using her role to shed light on the horrible atrocities the pilgrims actually did to the Native American people. She has the most iconic line as she almost lights the annoying privileged, ignorant, air head blonde playing Pilgrim Betty, on fire:

My all time favourite Tim Burton movie is of course the gothic cinematic masterpiece Sleepy Hollow which is based on the classic tale The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Edgar Allen Poe. It is visually stunning and creepy and Christina plays the lovely Katrina who peaks the love interest of Ichabod Crane played by Johnny Depp. She makes a gorgeous blonde and she favours Winona Ryder so much, with her style, her starring alongside Johnny Depp, a natural brunette, as a blonde. Winona Ryder is another of my favourites for another time but I do love them both so much and find them in similar acting roles and styles. Watch this one if you want creepy visual effects and a tale about a headless horsemen. This is the perfect movie to watch for Halloween. Or you know, any old day lol.

I am not normally a drama movie kinda girl, I prefer to stick to horror but there are some dramas that have a semblance of horror in them and are just that damn good I need to watch. Monster is one of those movies. Based on the true story of the first female serial killer Eileen Wuornos. If you know anything about this story it’s actually really sad about what happened to her to make her turn towards killing johns. I highly recommend the movie and even watching a couple documentaries on Eileen because her life is very sad. Charlize Theron plays Eileen and won an Oscar for her role and I must say she did a damn good job. She had to gain something like 50 lbs and she certainly was not beautiful and glamorous the way she normally is. The transformation was spectacular. Christina plays Selby a somewhat naïve young girl who gets taken under Eileen’s wing and then eventually becomes her lover. She lives with her during the majority of her killing spree and ends up turning her over to the police and testifying in court, when she becomes implicated in her crimes. The movie is dark and sad and twisted and is definitely on my top favourites. If you are into true crime and serial killers definitely add this one to your list.

Back to horror, she starred as the lead in the Werewolf movie called Cursed. I was on such a Werewolf kick at the time in my teens. Ginger Snaps and Cursed were my favourite movies. I wanted to be a werewolf and vampire so badly when I was younger. They still are some of my favourites. Although Cursed is a little bit more cheesy than Ginger Snaps it is still good. She stars alongside Joshua Hartnett and gets mysteriously bitten by a large dog and then changes start to happen to her. Eventually it ends up being an all out werewolf battle at the full moon. A lot of people might not be into werewolf movies but if you are be sure to check out this one

Christina Ricci dropped a bunch of weigh to star in another drama called Black Snake Moan, starring alongside Justin Timberlake and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie is pretty cheesy and she plays a nymphomaniac whose boyfriend goes off to war and she basically goes on a bender, fucks a bunch of people and then gets left for dead on the side of the road. Samuel L. Jackson’s character finds her, nurses her back to health and then wants to rid her of her inner demons (nymphomania). While the whole world is judging her you come to find out the reason she acts out sexually is because she was abused as a child, big shocker. Anyway as I said the movie is pretty cheesy but she looks hot as hell and if you want to just stare at her body for a couple hours then this is definitely the movie to do it.

She stars in a bunch of other famous and great movies and tv shows. A lot that I have seen and some that I haven’t. Some honourable mentions are Now and Then, Buffalo ‘66, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Bless the Child, Prozac Nation, Pumpkin, Penelope and The Lizzie Borden Chronicles. I would love for her to star in another amazing horror movie or reprise some long ago role. I will finish this blog post with a picture of her posing as the matriarch of the Addams Family, Morticia Addams. I dare say she may even look better than the original, although don’t quote me on that. Another great reason for my love of Christina Ricci is she is so damn cute. Petite little thing with that unconventional beauty. If all else you should watch her films to gaze upon her lovely face. I will also leave this by saying that tonight my sister in law is coming over around 9pm so we can go see the remake of Pet Semetary. I am so excited as this is yet again another favourite of mine and Stephen King is a whole other story when it comes to my interests. He is my all time favourite author and has made some of my favourite books that have eventually become classic horror movies. I was thinking of making a top 50 list of favourite horror movies and books. Let me know is this something that would interest y’all.

New Moon in Aries Ritual

There are some really ancient rituals that have been done for 1000s of years. A lot of different astrologers and healers use these types of things to help people with the difficulties of life. You can do a ritual for all kinds of different things but some popular times to commit to doing a ritual is during new moons, full moons and during the equinoxes and solstices. If you really enjoy doing them then you can start to do a ritual for other things you need in life. It can be very therapeutic. The power of manifestation is a crazy thing and that’s why these rituals are important.

The new moon moves into Aries on April 3rd at 10:18pm. We set intentions for the month on the new moon to be clear and concise about what we like to achieve. The new moon in Aries asks us to focus on ambition, drive and action. Aries season is all about putting yourself first. Put your actions towards your true desires. Aries is fiery, dynamic and electric. You need to practice the most self-love

You have 3 days before and 3 days after the new moon to perform this ritual.

1) Gather any and all supplies that you will need for the ritual. You can use sage to smudge beforehand, crystals you will need (moonstone, aventurine, carnelian, or clear quartz are good choices), a journal to write, a bowl to smudge in or burn intentions, a bowl of water and a candle. If you have a red candle I would recommend using red because red, fiery and Mars are all associated with Aries.

2) Create yourself a special alter space for all the items that you have gathered. It doesn’t matter where your alter space is, it can be any table in the house or on the floor, wherever you feel most comfortable. Decorate with items such as crystals, plants, candles, things you find outside in nature like leaves or feathers, decorative table runners, anything you can really think of that seems appropriate.

3) Start by smudging your alter space and say a little prayer. It can be along the lines of “I respect mother moon and all she does for us. I take this time to set honest intentions. I manifest all that is good and bright and light. I have the power to change my future. I will let go all that no longer serves me. I am totally and completely alined spiritually. I am in tune with my higher powers. “ Write down your intentions or wishes. focus on them, meditate on them. What do you wish for your life? Can you actually picture these things happening to and for you in your life? The manifestation WILL NOT work if you truly don’t believe it. It’s important to be clear on what you want. You can doodle and make your intentions “pretty” or you can just be as simple as writing a list. Some new moon in Aries intentions would be: Try something new. Speak your truth. Conquer your fears. Break the rules. Take the lead. Do your own thing for you

4) Light your candle and put your crystals in the bowl of water. For this ritual I definitely recommend using fire and burning your intentions. You will write your intentions down into your journal. You will start off by writing down the things you want to release and what no longer serves you. You will ask for the guidance in doing this. Don’t let fear or ego hold you back any longer. Talk about what you need to let go of and how you plan to do it. Next you will write about your wishes for the next month. What do you desire above all else. This is the perfect month to focus solely on your needs rather than everybody else’s needs. Especially right after Pisces season with the all encompassing emotions I am sure we have all been feeling. You will light the paper on fire and watch how the fire burns your intentions. Maybe it burns fast or maybe it fizzles out fast. After removing your crystals, use the charged crystal water to extinguish the flames by dropping the burning paper into the water. This seals your desires and puts them out into the universe. You can either bury the ashes into the earth outside (weather dependent) or you can pour them down the sink,

5) At this time you can take some time for yourself however you wish, further meditation, possibly a tarot reading if you do that, you can even enjoy a glass of wine. Tell the moon you love her, clean up your space and take the crystals to bed with you. You have just completed your new moon ritual.

I hope you guys enjoy doing this ritual and can find some peace or healing that you may be needing in life. I also hope that you manifest your deepest desires and this moon month goes exactly how you wish it to. Now is the time for action and to put forth effort into achieving your goals. Use that dynamic spark

8 changes I made this year to reduce my impact on our lovely planet Earth

This post was definitely inspired in part by Jillian Harris. Having said that this is something that I actually did on my own, and I have been trying to find a way to write about it so her post inspired this blog post. This year I had a very big resolution in mind and it’s been one that I have been sort of doing over the years, and thought about for as long as I can remember, but was pretty wishy washy with it until this year where I really committed to it. This resolution was to have a less wasteful life and reduce our families carbon footprint. I wanted to go green and more eco friendly in every aspect that I could. Here are 8 simple changes that I made in order to do this. I hope someone will take some inspiration from this and hopefully decide to make their own changes.

1) No more Saran Wrap. I bought beeswax reusable wraps before Christmas and so far I am loving them. I though they would get gross and be hard to clean but they are very easy to use and to clean after. I bought 2 different kinds on Amazon. The Buzee Organic wraps are my favourite and here is a link to them on Amazon https://www.amazon.ca/Friendly-Reusable-Wraps-Lemongrass-Essential/dp/B07G6VYHDG/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=wax+wraps&qid=1554128405&s=kitchen&sr=1-3. I also use the Etee brand but they aren’t as cute as The Buzee wraps. You can find several different types but these are the 2 I would recommend.

2) I always bring market bags and cloth produce bags when I go grocery shopping. No exceptions. This is a very small and simple change. There’s really no excuse as to why you can’t do this and basically every store out there has bags that you can buy for a very small fee. You can also take your big bag of plastic bags (let’s be real everyone has one of these) and return them to most grocery stores for re use. There is usually a spot near the doors where you can return your plastic bags. The cloth produce bags I again bought on Amazon but i’m sure there is a local maker who makes way nicer and cuter bags. Although every time I shop now I get complimented on those produce bags and asked where I got them. I will link them here https://www.amazon.ca/Yomitek-Reusable-Washable-Drawstrings-Shopping/dp/B07G2117CJ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=produce+bags&qid=1554129047&s=kitchen&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1.

3) I switched to shampoo bars, homemade conditioner and DIY house cleaner with glass bottles. I bought my shampoo bars from Lend Me Some Sugar which I discovered at Third and Bird. Third and Bird is the local market with all local, handmade vendors. There is one coming up in May and I am very excited because they have the best products. Follow Lend Me Some Sugar on Instagram and give them some love because they have really amazing products and just recently switched to 0 plastic packaging. I am surprisingly loving the shampoo bars and I have very long hair and also swim a few times a week. No more plastic bottles for cleaning or hair products. I make sure my makeup and skin products are eco conscious and not tested on animals, and to be honest I am really going to limit my makeup purchases from now on. I get my lashes done so this allows me to do the no makeup look flawlessly, and I literally can go weeks if not months without any makeup. For the kids I use all 0 toxic and eco friendly products as well. I am also currently working on a blog post of my favourite baby and kid brands.

4) I switched to the Diva cup and period panties. NO MORE TAMPONS OR PADS!!! This is honestly life changing and I am currently writing a blog post on my Diva Cup that will be out in the next couple days. I tried and failed at the whole cloth diaper thing and I don’t really want to get into it right now with Ash. Jaxson is potty trained and hopefully Ash will be sooner than Jaxson was now that I know how to do it. Maybe I will cloth diaper with our next baby, but this does make me feel immensely guilty because diapers take like 500 years or something like that to decompose :(

5) I eat vegan or vegetarian basically the majority of the time. I do eat meat and cheese occasionally but I hardly eat meat and I do go back and fourth between vegan and regular cheese. We don’t drink cow’s milk here however and we enjoy a variety of meatless and dairy less options a few times a week. It’s very easy to make little switches in this regard because the meatless options are just so dang good these days. Even the cheese is pretty bang on for real cheese. The boys are basically vegan and they don’t even know the difference because they’re so young. Even by doing it once a week you are making a huge impact. Anyway I read that the dairy industry lost something like 1 billion dollars in 2018, the times are changing folks and people want to do better for our planet.

6) We will be buying myself a more energy efficient SUV and I also limit my driving which is easy in the winter with 2 little ones on while on maternity leave. Come summer time I plan to do most of my shopping around the neighbourhood within a walking distance. But for now a tank of gas will last me at least two weeks if not more because I am doing such little driving.

7) No more fast fashion! I have started shopping at more sustainable clothing companies. This is not perfect yet as the boys are growing so fast so I do buy them teeshirts, jammies and underwear from like Walmart or The Gap. But I am really trying to buy good quality (usually more expensive) clothing and shoes that I will wear forever and will last through both of my boys (and maybe more babies in the future). But that means no Forever 21, Fashion Nova and H&M for myself. I did buy good quality jeans at American Eagle. I have been shopping at more local places in Winnipeg and Canada, small shops, for myself and the boys. Also just shopping less in general which is pretty easy when you’re trying to save money. This also means thinking about the fabrics we are wearing. Are they sustainable? No more wool and no more leather.

8) No more bottled water or wasteful coffee to go cups. The coffee is pretty easy because I don’t really drink it and when I do it’s at the coffee shop up the street where you can bring your own container for them to go and when drinking at the shop they will serve in a mug or glass. The bottled water is not an issue because I have been drinking out of a water bottle for years now so that was nothing to officially commit to. Before I had Asher I bought an amazing insulated stainless steel 32oz Tumbler made by Healthy Human. It comes in a variety of colours and it really helps me stay on track of my water drinking goals. I drink at least 4 of those a day. I will link my tumbler as well https://www.amazon.ca/Healthy-Human-Insulated-Stainless-Cruisers/dp/B0761Z91NK/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=2IIUGDCLYU7NR&keywords=healthy+human+tumbler&qid=1554129936&s=kitchen&sprefix=Healthy+Human%2Ckitchen%2C175&sr=1-1-fkmrnull.

And there we have it! 8 simple and small changes that can make the most difference. If everyone made small changes like this then our planet would be in much better shape than she is now. I am not perfect by any means and slip ups do happen. I also have goals to begin shopping mainly from Bulk Barn for things like flour, sugar, rice, nuts, pasta and spices. Things that come in unnecessary packaging that I can just bring my own containers to pick up from the store. Realistically I would love to live a zero waste life and instill these values in my children but we are still a work in progress.

Toddler and Baby Approved Meals - Week #4 of March

This week was the best for baby and toddler meals. Mom was on her A game and despite our desperate need to go grocery shopping I made do with major leftovers from my dads birthday supper for Jaxson and some samples and leftovers Jesse brought home from work. We were scraping the bottom of the barrel over here but somehow I made it work and made some cute and fun meals for the kids. They will never go hungry around me. My dad gave us leftover carrots, chicken cacciatore, fresh ciabatta bread a giant case of baby tomatoes and polenta. Jesse brought home these amazing kaiser rolls made by City Rye that he’s testing out for Free Bird at the Merchant Kitchen.

First meal I am about to show you is a peanut butter and honey sandwich on a City Bread kaiser bun, actual Cheetos (leftover from Jax’s birthday), carrots, tomatoes, blueberries, blackberries, baby Quinoa Puffs, and a puréed baby food pouch.

Peanut butter and honey sandwich on a City Bread kaiser bun
Cheetos
Blackberries
Blueberries
Baby Carrots
Baby Tomatoes
Strawberry beet quinoa baby puffs - Baby Gourmet Puffies
Strawberry, banana, blueberry purée - Love Child Organic

I love creamed honey more so than any other type of honey, it’s the only kind I use now. Honey is somewhat controversial in the vegan community because the majority consider honey an animal byproduct. However I have done my own research on the matter and especially if you are buying local honey they do not kill any bees to harvest the honey, or compromise their health and it can also be good for the bees. I know the majority of vegans disagree and that is absolutely fine but I do not feel bad eating honey especially when I buy from a local source. Jesse always gets gifted things like honey, jams, oils for cooking. We actually had so much honey and ran out so I had to buy Bee Maid from the store but Jesse did inform me that it is pretty local. However I am not sure how they treat their bees. But there is a new market up the street from us that opened called Black Market Provisions and they have local honey! So from now on that is where I will be buying our honey from. The Puffies are a favourite of Ash and the fact that they’re organic, gluten free and with probiotics is a major plus. He eats them daily.

Bee Maid Raw Honey - Local Safeway in South Osborne

Baby Gourmet strawberry beet Puffies - Local Safeway in South Osborne

For supper this day we had more leftovers. Whenever we eat at my dads he always make a gigantic feast and thus we leave with a bag full of leftovers. I am not complaining whatsoever his food is always really good and it definitely is appreciated on weeks when I can’t make it to the store. Jaxson for supper had chicken cacciatore with polenta and tomato sauce and carrots glazed with butter and rosemary sprigs. Asher had tiny pieces of carrots and polenta and leftover meatless chicken nuggets. Jaxson absolutely loved this supper and it is surprising to me because I remember getting this as a kid and absolutely HATING it. But this also may come from my disdain of tomatoes. No problem with my kids in that department they love tomatoes. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Asher also had an apples, corn and butternut squash purée pouch. If you are wondering if both of my boys eat everything on their plates? Not always but the majority of the time they eat most of it, whatever they don’t finish I scarf down in 2 bites so we don’t waste food.

Chicken cacciatore made by my father
Carrots with rosemary
Polenta and tomato sauce
Leftover meatless nuggets - Yves
Apple, corn and butternut squash purée - Love Child Organic from Safeway South Osborne
Bento box style apple plates - Munchkin from Amazon

Here’s another basic lunch I made with leftovers and ready made fruits and veg good to go. This one was for Jaxson. Cut up strawberries, baby tomatoes, popcorn chicken and Goldfish. Nothing fancy but he loved every bite. Bento style apple plates are Munchkin brand and I purchased 3 for the price of 1 on Amazon.

I never post many pictures of breakfast because it is usually either toast and fruit or cereal. Some days we do eggs or pancakes or oatmeal but for the most part it is pretty basic. Toast and fruit or cereal and fruit. Always with soy milk and vegan butter. Neither my boys know the difference. We strictly use City Bread in this household. Their rye bread is the best bread I’ve ever eaten, especially as toast. Nothing will ever compare and no one can ever tell me that there is a better bread out there. The other thing that I love about it is that it is vegan and made with legitimate real wholesome ingredients. It is not overly processed and I feel good about serving it to my boys. It is local to Winnipeg so if you have not eaten this bread you need to try it. Another day this week I made blueberry waffles (let’s be real they were Eggos) and fruit. Jaxson had blueberries and a banana and Asher had blueberries with little pieces of the waffle torn up.

City Rye Bread - You can find this bread at either Safeway or Walmart I never see it at Superstore

Look at those amazing ingredients. Simple, basic and ingredients you can actually pronounce.

Blueberry waffles -Eggos from Safeway
Blueberries
Banana
Spider spooky plate - Home Sense
Skeleton ballerina plate - Home Sense

The next 4 plates are all lunches for my boys. We have leftover pizza, apple slices, baby tomatoes and Goldfish for Jaxson and polenta, ciabatta load torn into pieces and chopped up baby tomatoes for Asher, with an apple, corn and butternut squash purée. Half a turkey croissant sandwich with, turkey sausage, cheese, Sociable crackers and grapes for Jaxson and basically the same thing (minus the sandwich) for Asher just cut up into tiny little bite sized baby pieces. Next we have a vegan corn dog with baby tomatoes, carrots and blueberries for Jaxson and a vegan hot dog wiener, carrots and blueberries for Asher. Cut into pieces and with a side of apple, sweet potato, beet and cinnamon purée. The last lunch dish was vegan grilled cheese made with Daiya cheddar style slices, baby tomatoes and baby garlic dill pickles. It is truly amazing how much my boys eat. Especially Asher, he basically eats 3-4 meals a day and is quickly ditching the milk. Our doctor has recommend that we switch the formula to actual mill and I am trying to figure out how we are going to wean him, whether with cows milk or soy milk.

Leftover pizza for Old Spaghetti Factory
Granny Smith apple slices
Baby tomatoes
Goldfish - Costco
Polentta - made. by dad
Ciabatta bread - Piazza de Nardi
Apple, corn and butternut squash purée - Love Child Organic

Turkey croissantwich - Safeway’s ready made meals
Turkey farmer sausage - Costco
Marble cheese cubes
Sociable crackers
Red and green grapes

Vegan corn dogs - Yves from Walmart
Baby tomatoes
Carrots
Blueberries
Vegan hot dog wieners - Yves from Walmart
Apple, sweet potato, beet and cinnamon - Love Child Organics
Unicorn toddler plate - Skip Hop from West Coast Kids

Vegan butter - Becel from Walmart
Vegan cheddar style slices _ Daiya from Walmart
Rye bread - City Bread from Walmart
Baby tomatoes
Baby garlic dill pickles
Ballerina skeleton plate - Home Sense
Spooky spider plate - Home Sense

I am going to end this post with tonight’s supper because it was soooo delicious, and vegan. I was going to make Kraft Dinner because like I said we are scraping the bottom of the barrel and there wasn’t much for us to have tonight for dinner. But I did thoroughly think it through and realized I had everything to make homemade vegan mac and cheese. I will post the recipe for my vegan mac n cheese sometime this week but for now it’s a secret. I will say however that it was damn good and a dead ringer for the real deal. I also found these battered dill pickle bites that I bought from Walmart a few weeks ago that I forgot about. I was happy I was able to come up with something for the boys rather than processed Kraft Dinner (which is not a bad thing I actually love Kraft Dinner) but if you can make a homemade meal when you can why not?

Dill pickle bites - Walmart
Mac n cheese - made by yours truly and will post the recipe right away
Cucumber slices
Baby tomatoes
Leftover french fries
Pear, carrots, green bean and prune purée - Love Child Organic
Apple bento box style plates - Munchkin from Amazon

Vegan Cauliflower Wings 4 Ways - Battered, crispy, Buffalo and Sweet and Spicy Soy

If you want to make more vegan and plant based choices in your diet but don’t know where to start my suggestion is to start with some of your favourite non vegan dishes and veganize them. Who doesn't love hot wings? I promise you will love cauliflower wings just as much if not more and you will feel good about helping our planet.

You will need a head of cauliflower, flour (if you want this recipe to be gluten free add chickpea or almond flour instead), breadcrumbs, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, soy milk, vegan butter, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, Sriacha, Soy Sauce, ginger, garlic and brown sugar (you can also use Honey or Maple Syrup in place of brown sugar). Preheat the oven to 375 F. Chop the head of cauliflower into “wing sized” pieces.

Battered mixture:

• In a small bowl add a cup of flour

• Add a tablespoon of garlic powder

• Add a tablespoon of smoked paprika

• Add a pinch of both salt and pepper

• Add a 1.5 cups of plant based milk of your choice, for this recipe I like to use soy milk

if you want to make these crispy, you will have a separate plate with Italian breadcrumbs

Buffalo Sauce:

• In a saucepan add 4 tablespoons vegan butter

• Add 1/3 cup of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

• Stir until completely melted. Bring to a boil and boil for less than a minute.

Sweet and Spicy Soy Sauce:

• In a small saucepan add 1/2 cup Soy Sauce

• Add 2 inches (or desired amount) of freshly grated ginger

• Add 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• Add your desired spiciness of Sriracha sauce

• Add 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or sugar alternatives honey or brown sugar)

• Bring to a boil and boil less than minute before removing

After all your sauces and the batter mixture are ready, you can get started. You will want to take the cauliflower wings and dip them individually into the batter. This is when you decide whether you want battered, or crispy or both. If you have them crispy you will also need a separate bowl or plate of breadcrumbs to add on top of the battered mixture, also keep in mind they will definitely not be gluten free despite which flour you used once you use breadcrumbs. After they are all coated you will put them on a sheet pan and add olive oil and sea salt. Pop them into the oven for 15 minutes at 375 F. Remove once they are brown and crispy. Now you will want to coat with the wing sauces you have made. I add them to a separate bowl and then drizzle the desired sauce amount and toss it all together in the bowl. Voila you now have cauliflower wings and potentially 4 ways! Enjoy for the deliciousness and also knowing you are doing right by our beautiful planet.

Jaxson's Third Birthday Celebrations!

I can’t believe my baby is 3 years old! He has grown from such a sweet little baby to such a special and funny little boy. He is so independent and every day he amazes me with all the stuff he knows and understands. He is sensitive but really funny and just very nice and helpful. He is the honestly the perfect first kid to have and I feel so lucky that he was my first child.

The past couple years we have had some badass, baller birthday parties for the kid. His first birthday was in my mom’s old condo’s multipurpose room and was Star Wars themed. We went all out with the balloons, decorations, snacks, guest list, gifts and even his smash cake was in the shape of the Death Star, made by Jesse’s amazing chef at Pizzeria Gusto, Connie. There were over 30 guests at his birthday party and he got the most amazing gifts, he was incredibly spoiled and it was way over the top. It was truly Pinterest worthy and the best first birthday party ever. I hope we can do something as awesome for Asher.

Last year we did his 2nd birthday party in one of the meeting rooms at the Alt Hotel (where the Merchant Kitchen is situated). It was Cars themed and we also did cute home cooking food. Homemade corn dogs, grilled cheeses, candy and chips. There were less people than at his first birthday party but the turn out was still good. I asked for optional gifts because I had learned from the previous year that it may even be too much to have all those toys. Our house is only so big anyway and Jaxson has everything he could ever want already. I don’t want to waste more plastic when he has so many toys already and a lot of good stuff, I also want to focus on good quality toys that will last all our kids for years to come. He did get some nice big gifts from grandparents and of course from us but that suits me the most, and honestly he was so young that he didn’t even notice the lack of gifts. My mom bought the furniture for his new big boy room which you can find under Jaxson Myers page of this blog.

This year we are did it completely different. All that money we spent on these large parties for him we put into a hotel night at the Canad Inns Pembina, with the water park. We also went tto Flying Squirrel during the day of his birthday and had dinner with some family members at Pony Corral (it’s not fancy but he’s 3 years old and I wanted something close and family style). Jesse ordered a Spiderman cake from Chocolate Zen which is a bakery up the street from us. We ended up going to Flying Squirrel with some friends, checked into the hotel, went for dinner, stayed up late and had snacks and watched movies. The next day we ended up going to the water park before we had to check out. Both Jesse and I bought Jaxson a couple gifts each and honestly the entire day was about fun activities and family time. We also went to dinner at my dad’s place on the 24th for presents, supper and cake with my dads side of the family.

We started the day off of Jaxson’s birthday, the 19th, by giving Jaxson his gifts. For gifts he got Jurassic Park Duplo, the “Prowler” action figure (Into the Spider-Verse), a Spider-Man water gun, Spider-Man Vans (which sadly I am returning because they are too big), a couple graphic T-Shirts and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Doctor Seuss. Something to play with, something to wear and grow into and something to read and expand his ming. I also personally gave him a very special gift which was Amazonite in the shape of a heart. His first ever crystal. I know that boy is going to be intuitive as hell with all that Pisces in his natal chart and he is already so into my tarot cards and crystals. I am starting him quite young but I think he will grow up and appreciate that I helped him utilize his gifts. Anyway Amazonite is a very soothing and calming crystal. It is also good luck and used for delving deeper into your intuitive nature. After opening gifts we went to Party Stuff and picked up his “3” helium balloon.

We went to Crescent Drive Park for a photo op and then to slide down the slides as that is one of Jaxson’s favourite things to do and with a long winter there has definitely been a lack of sliding. Flying Squirrel was so much fun. My good friends Jenn and Brit came with their kids, they’re all around the same age so it was soooo cute watching the kids hop around on the trampolines and try to shoot basketball hoops. On the way home both kids fell asleep in the car. Jaxson basically only had a 20 minute nap the entire day. We checked into the hotel and got everybody settled in. Jesse got us a suite which had 2 bedrooms which is good because we needed the space with 2 kids and also because we wanted to be able to hang out after the kids went to bed. Asher went down for a nap immediately. Jaxson and I played with his balloons and Spider-Man mask. We hung out until it was time to go for supper. We ended up choosing Pony Corral on Pembina because it was very close to the restaurant and not super fancy and a decent family restaurant. Recently Jesse and I have had some negative experiences with this restaurant to this was definitely their chance to redeem themselves. Dinner and the service ended up being great so we were very happy about that! My mom, her partner Jim, my grandma and both my sister in laws, McKenzie and Sheridan and her boyfriend Derek were able to make it for a small family supper. Jesse’s parents are currently in Florida so they were not able to make it so we will be having supper when they return and we had dinner at my dads on the 24th. Jaxson and Asher were both so well behaved, especially Jaxson considering the day he had and no nap. He got a shark water gun from his auntie Sheridan and a Berenstain Bears book from my mom, his grandma. Both my mom and my grandma gave me cheques to put towards his activities, swimming lessons, soccer and gymnastics. Which honestly I appreciate more than anything and I know Jaxson will too. After we ate supper was time for birthday cake. The staff brought out his cake with candles and they even sang happy birthday to him. He looked shy and nervous but once he realized it was Spider-Man his face lit up and it was the quite possibly one of his cutest moments ever. My heart melted. We packed up the kids quickly after because their happiness threshold was fading and we were moving into cranky baby and toddler territory which I think any parent can agree is one of the most annoying things about being a parent of young children. We got back to the hotel and Asher basically went to bed right away. He was out like a light. Even Jaxson was easy to get to sleep that night. He was so tired from a long day. He ended up passing out in our king sized bed with Ash sleeping peacefully in his pack’n’play beside him. It was the first time they ever slept in the same room together and again so cute and heart melting. Jesse and I had a couple drinks and I actually went and played some VLTs in the hotel bar that my friend Jenn works in. It was a very good day. The next morning we woke up and had Aalto’s breakfast buffet, it was not the best and we all agreed that we should have actually ordered breakfast off the menu instead of the buffet. Then we went to the water park. I was really hoping to get Jaxson down the water slide but he was too scared. And I don’t really blame him for that because it was big and completely covered. Jesse went down it and he said it would have been too much. But we swam in the big pool and in the kiddie pool and he enjoyed himself and so did Ash. Jesse and I took turns in the hot tub and then we got out, got ready for the day and checked out. Jaxson’s birthday was officially over. My boy is 3 I can’t even believe it.

We went to my dads place for birthday supper last night and it was really enjoyable. We spent the evening with my Dad, his partner Cori, my brother Travis, his partner Regan, my nephew Cruz, my Uncle John and my cousin Claire. We opened presents and had veggies with dip and crackers and cheese. Jaxson got Toy Story Duplo and wooden blocks by Melissa and Doug from Claire and my Uncle John. He got a Star Wars space ship complete with BB-8 from Travis, Regan and Cruz. He also got multiple new outfits and pyjamas from my Dad and Cori and I think my dad is planning to buy him a bike soon which is very exciting. My dad made chicken cacciatore with polenta, asparagus, carrots, Caesar salad and 2 different types of bread. Also the good wine. My dad is a great cook so everything was very delicious. We had Jeanne’s cake for dessert which is a definite family tradition that is carrying on. We all sang him happy birthday and again was shy at first but once everyone got into it he loved it. Him and Cruz are very close in age (6 months apart) so it was the best seeing them together and interacting. From being little babies to now actually playing, giggling and running around the place. Even letting Ash play with them. They are all so cute together.

Jaxson also passed his swimming lessons! I made an update on his swim progress under my Jaxson Myers page, the link you can find right here https://mommabat.squarespace.com/jaxson-myers. That is a wrap of my boy’s birthday celebrations. Last week was a very busy week and now we get back into our good routine and healthy eating. We love our boy so much and are so proud of the best 3 year old we have ever known. I didn’t know my heart could be so full but he was the one who made it that way for me and I am forever grateful of my beautiful first born son. I can’t wait to see how he grows and evolves this year and what this year will bring for him. We love you so much Jaxson!

Horror Women Fridays - Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee Curtis is a total babe. Did you know she is the daughter of original horror scream queen, actress Janet Leigh who starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho? She made her debut as Laurie Strode in the slasher cult classic Halloween by John Carpenter. Halloween is probably one of my top favourite horror movies and franchises of all time. My own first born child’s middle name is based off of Michael Myers. She is a definite favourite actress of mine. Over the next few years she also starred in John Carpenter’s The Fog and then the horror cult classic Prom Night. Both films are very similar in the way that the lead protagonist (Jamie Lee Curtis) out lives all her friends and family around her. Jamie Lee also went on to star in as many Halloween sequels and remakes as you can possibly think of. From the second one which was made only a couple years after the original in 1978, Halloween H20, Halloween Resurection to the most recent Halloween that came out in October of 2018 (best part of that movie was her reimagining as the role of grandma Laurie Strode in my opinion). My favourite part about Laurie Strode is she is different in each movie that she stars in. It’s like a different Laurie in each Halloween universe. In Halloween H20 she has a son who is the very famous heartthrob, Josh Hartnett. In Halloween Resurrection she is killed by Michael Myers which of course makes no sense for her returning in the remake in 2018. I find it makes me like the movies and her character all that much more, you never know which one you are going to get. She was so badass in the 2018 remake and it is funny to see the difference between 2 infamous lines from the 1978 film “there’s no such thing as the boogeyman” to 40 years later and her tune has totally changed “if you don’t believe in the boogeyman you should.”

She starred in several other movies over the next few decades and stepped out of her role as a horror scream queen. A Fish Called Wanda and Freaky Friday solidified that she could be a great comedic actress as well. She took a brief hiatus from acting to raise her children with actor Christopher Guest. After raising their kids she did return to acting and starred opposite Piper Perabo in Beverly Hills Chihuahua and alongside Sigourney Weaver and Kristen Bell in You, Again. She later went on two act in several different television programs with one of my favourites being Scream Queens starring alongside Emma Roberts and Billie Lourd. Unfortunately there has only been 2 seasons of the show and so far I have heard nothing of them making anymore seasons which does make me very sad. And then of course her original role as Laurie Strode is all of the Halloween movies.

I love her because she has an incredibly banging bod even at 60 years old but especially when she was younger. She has no shame in showing off her body and obviously knows she has amazing breasts because if you do a quick google search of her basically the majority of pictures of her acting and on the red carpet she is either topless or since she very clearly doesn’t like to wear a bra you can basically see her boobies always. Which I can appreciate and don’t blame her for showing off because they are nice. I also can appreciate the no bra life and I honestly attribute how nice they still look to that because it is bad for women’s skin elasticity and promotes further sagging when you wear a structured bra, which is not the point of this post but definitely something important to note for us ladies. She also rocks the short hair and the long hair. On top of her beauty and acting abilities she is also very philanthropic and if you happen to follow her on Instagram she often speaks politically and very liberally. She is definitely a feminist icon for myself. I think she has really aged with grace and after seeing the the Halloween remake last October she proves she still has the acting chops to hold her title of original scream queen. I hope she continues to star as Laurie Strode and I really hope Scream Queens come back for another season. I highly recommend both Halloween (if you haven’t seen it though are you living under a rock?) and Scream Queens, especially if you enjoy horror.

Full Super "Worm" Moon in Libra

It’s that time again friends! Another full moon is upon us. This one is the 3rd super moon of this year and the last one until late in 2020! A super moon is visually bigger and more stunning than a regular moon, you will definitely want to get outside and check this one out. It also coincides with the spring equinox and the ending of Pisces season and the beginning of Aries season. Aries is the first sign in the astrological year so it truly is a special and magical day. Soak up all those good vibes and check out both my blog posts on how to do a full moon ritual for releasing negativity and healing and different ways to celebrate the equinox.

The full moon is at 0 degrees in Libra at 8:24pm tonight. It is known as a “Worm” moon because now is the time when spring rains nourish the earth and thus bring out worms from the cold, dead ground. Literally a worm moon. There will be a definite shift in balance. We will be feeling balanced and harmonious. Along with the equal parts day and night from the spring equinox. Libra is also known for being fair, charming and sociable. They are ruled by Venus the planet of love and beauty so focus on relationships and partnerships with an emphasis on balance and equality. Is your relationship give and take? Or is it more one sided? Perhaps now is the time to reevaluate where you stand in your closest relationships. However Libras are known for being diplomatic. If things are not as harmonious as they could be you will want to approach the subject delicately, especially with the full moon and heightened emotions. This is an opportunity for you and your partner to work together and understand each other better, do not see it as a negative thing. Just make sure to keep any emotional outbursts in check.

As always full moons are a time for endings and new beginnings, a time of heightened emotions and a time when secrets may be revealed and people generally act crazier. Stay grounded and level headed and find ways to celebrate the moon and upcoming spring season. I don’t foresee too much negative energy with this moon, instead the energy is renewing and harmonious, so enjoy!

Spring Equinox - Ostara Celebration!

March 20th is the spring equinox and thus brings Ostara. Ostara is one of the 8 sabbats that make up the pagan wheel of the year. Basically any religion you can think of has some sort of spring celebration and most of them have pagan roots that descend from Ostara. It might not be on the 20th specifically but one of the biggest holidays, Easter is coming up very shortly. A lot of easter traditions you will find seem familiar to Ostara, painting eggs, celebrating with chocolate and decorating your home with a spring bouquet. Ostara is the celebration of the spring maiden returning from her winter slumber of death. Another name you might have in reference to the Spring Maiden is Persephone or Eostre. She brings back blooming plants and makes the earth fertile and ready for growth. Ostara is celebrated by Wiccans and pagans alike, however you don’t need too be either to celebrate the equinox. The Spring Equinox also signifies another huge shift. The end of the Pisces season and the end of the astrological calendar and the beginning of Aries season and thus the start of a new astrological year. The energy is going to shift tremendously from dreamy, intuitive and highly sensitive to fiery, action oriented and assertive.

Maybe you don’t realize it but you may have already done something to celebrate in certain Ostara celebratory traditions. Think of Ostara as another type of “moon ritual” but instead of celebrating the moon we celebrate the coming of spring, warmer weather and longer days. Signigifying fertility this is a wonderful time to set intentions for an abundant relationship, a stable and loving marriage or even plan for a baby if this is something that you are wishing for. There are several different ways to celebrate Ostara it is not confined to one significant ritual. Because Ostara also is coinciding with the full moon this is of course makes for a perfect time to do a full moon ritual. This is also coinciding with my first son Jaxson’s 3rd birthday celebrations. It is truly going to be an amazing few days ahead. Check out my blog post on the Super Moon Full Ritual in Libra for further information. Here are some other ways that you can celebrate the spring equinox:

1) Gather all your supplies that you will need for making a decorative Ostara Alar. This will also be used for your full moon ritual. Get creative. White daisies and lavender flowers, white or pastel coloured candles, rose or clear quartz, amethyst, and moonstone, Jasmine, rose or sage incense. Create a nest or something involving egg shells. Even use decorative little bunnies and chicks. You can also add jellybeans or chocolates as offerings to the goddess of spring. I used Cadbury Mini Eggs because theyr’e delicious, adorable and pastel.

My altar set up includes rose and clear quartz, moonstone, amethyst, selenite wand, selenite egg, white pillar candle, clay bowls made by my mom, abalone shell for burning sage, while sage, jasmine and incense box, tarot deck, Handbook for the Recently Deceased, Cadbury Mini Eggs, white Gerber daisies and lavender. Spiderweb table runner, black candle set and my succulents/terrariums stay out always.

2) Colour and dye eggs. We use natural dyes for this. Beets make a good source for natural dye and they also make a really pretty colour. You can also use, spinach for green, yellow onion for orange, and beets for light purple. You can also use actual food colouring. But the more natural the better.

3) Write down some good intentions or wishes. Say a little prayer and ask for abundance and good health. I plan to use this as part of my full moon ritual.

4) Take a salt bath. Add flower petals and bath salts. Bring your crystals into the bath with you.

5) Start small gardening projects, plant seeds and you can even involve egg shells in this process. This makes both good fertilizer for your plants and involves the symbolic egg. This however might not be ideal for those in a climate such as ours. You can start gardening inside before moving to the outside. Even if you don’t plan to start a garden yet this would be a good time to start planning for your summer garden.

6) Take a nature hike. Look for items you can use for your own altar. In past years we have had much nicer weather at this time of year. Envision the trees blooming in leaves and sunshine beating on your back. Splash in some puddles and be thankful the winter is over.

7) Melt some snow and turn it into moon water to use for further projects, this can also be used for for your full moon ritual. This is how I plan to celebrate Ostara because my big focus is going to be he full moon ritual. This also feels right considering we do not have the climate to go and frolic in a field at the moment

Snow in a mason jar to melt and then charge under the full moon light to use in my full moon ritual.

8) Cook a spring salad, eggs or hot cross buns. Eat cheese and chocolate. This is another part of the celebration I will definitely be partaking in. We will most likely have eggs for breakfast in the morning. I plan to make a kale and spinach salad with a balsamic dressing and I will be adding cucumber, strawberries, blueberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and cranberries. Cadbury Mini Eggs I have already started getting into in preparation lol. We will definitely be eating tons of yummy stuff over the next few days.

Super Full Moon in Libra Ritual

There is a full moon in Libra coming up on March 20th at 8:43pm, which is Wednesday coming up of this week. It also coincides with the spring equinox also known as Ostara! This is an amazing time to do a full moon ritual. March 20th is a day that is both equal parts day and night, it celebrates spring, fertility and longer days coming our way. Winter is basically over and I could not be more excited. This full moon is going to be especially important for me because I feel like there are some things that I need to let go of so this is the exact thing I need at this moment. Full moons are already a time where emotions and sensitivities are already heightened, it is a good time to take to ground yourself and release some of the emotions you may be feeling.

There are some really ancient rituals that have been done for 1000s of years. A lot of different astrologers and healers use these types of things to help people with the difficulties of life. You can do a ritual for all kinds of different things but some popular times to commit to doing a ritual is during new moons, full moons and during the equinoxes and solstices. If you really enjoy doing them then you can start to do a ritual for other things you need in life. It can be very therapeutic. The power of manifestation is a crazy thing and that’s why these rituals are important.

The full moon will be in the air element of Libra. Libra is ruled by Venus the planet of love and beauty. That aligning with Ostara and the spring equinox the energy is going to be romantic, sociable, harmonious and balanced. It might be a good time to celebrate your love with a partner. It could be a very good time to make a baby if that’s something that you want. Ostara is the goddess of fertility after all. I plan to release a blog post tomorrow after this one on Ostara and other ways you can celebrate the spring equinox.

Whereas we perform new moon rituals to set wishes and intentions for the month ahead of you, the reason we do a full moon ritual is to let go of things that no longer serve you. This could be attitudes, emotions, personal relationships, bad habits, illnesses. Anything you can think of that is negatively impacting your life. I like to burn my full moon ritual intentions. It can be very symbolic and healing. You can also interpret the way your paper burns, so if your intentions light up instantly and burn the paper completely you have truly let go or maybe the fire fades quickly and only burns off a corner, what do you think that is telling you? Focus on the flames.

You have 3 days before the new moon to perform this ritual or 12 hours after.

1) Gather any and all supplies that you will need for the ritual. You can use sage to smudge beforehand, crystals you will need (moonstone, clear quartz and amethyst are good choices), a journal to write, a bowl to smudge in or burn intentions, a bowl of water and a white or blue candle (white is a really good choice given it is Ostara).

2) Create yourself a special alter space for all the items that you have gathered. It doesn’t matter where your alter space is, it can be any table in the house or on the floor, wherever you feel most comfortable. Decorate with items such as crystals, plants, candles, things you find outside in nature like leaves or feathers, decorative table runners, anything you can really think of that seems appropriate.

3) Start by smudging your alter space and say a little prayer. It can be along the lines of “I respect mother moon and all she does for us. I plan to release that which no longer serves me. I do this to heal myself from past traumas and to fully let go and move forward.“ Write down your past traumas and the things that we wish to let go of focus on them, meditate on them. What do you wish for your life? Can you actually picture these things happening to and for you in your life? Letting go WILL NOT work if you truly don’t believe it. It’s important to be clear on what you want. You can doodle and make your intentions “pretty” or it can be as simple as writing a list.

4) Light your candle and put your crystals in the bowl of water. You want to charge the water and cleanse yourself after burning your intentions. Use melted snow that has been charged from the moon. Hold your intentions over the other bowl and using the candle light them on fire. Like I have already said you will want to analyze how they burn, even take a picture or video to look back on later.

5) At this time you can take some time for yourself however you wish, write down your interpretations of the flame burning, further meditation, possibly a tarot reading if you do that, you can even enjoy a glass of wine. Tell the moon you love her, clean up your space and now is a good time to put your crystals in a window sill to charge under the light of the full moon. You have just completed your full moon ritual.

I hope you guys enjoy doing this ritual and can find some peace or healing that you may be needing in life. I also hope you can take some time to appreciate all that is good in your life. Just like the oceans’ tides that ebb and flow as does the moon wax and wane and although emotions can be heightened during he full moon you will soon feel back to your normal self and ready to tackle a whole new month/moon cycle.

Toddler and Baby Meals - Week #2 of March

I didn’t get to post any meal inspo last week because we didn't do anything fun or crazy or cute. I don’t always get to make cute meals for my boys, especially when I’m busy with going to the gym (I have recently upped my gym routine, I was working out once or twice a week and now I am working out 6x a week and getting 10k steps daily) and working on my blog. I wish every day could be cute meal day but unfortunately some days it’s just a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and leftovers for dinner. I do not claim to be a perfect mom who cooks elaborate meals for their kids every day. But the meals that I do put an effort into cooking and presenting are always cute and appreciated by the kiddos. This week's blog post is actually going to be a collection of some of our favourite meals that we have had this week. We have had good home cooking, some vegan and some of Jaxsy’s favourites. But all in all I felt I had enough material to make a blog post about our meal inspo this week.

On Monday for lunch, Jesse and I had sandwiches and I made a smorgasbord of goodies for the kids. Jaxson’s lunch consisted of blackberries, cucumber, baby carrots, baby tomatoes, a Babybel and Lays original chips. Asher also had a Babybel, blackberries, baby cheese puffs and a purée pouch. For dinner we had homemade spaghetti and turkey meatballs with homemade tomato sauce and garlic toast. Yum! Both kids gobbled up their plates and I never actually got any pictures of the plating but I did get a photo of everything before it was plated

Tomato sauce made by Jesse
Turkey meatballs made by Jesse

Babybel - Costco
Fruits and veggies - Walmart
Lays Original Chips - Safeway
Love Child Organic purée pouch - Safeway
Baby Cheetos - Superstore

On Tuesday the boys had cereal and strawberries for breakfast. Jaxson loves just plain Kellog’s Flakes (the least amount of sugar and still tastes pretty good) with vanilla soy milk. He eats up a bowl and whatever last little bites are left I give to Ash. For their lunch that day I made turkey bacon and split a Costco blueberry muffin three ways. Ash still kinda struggles with meat a bit and I figured the turkey bacon would be tough for him so he did not have any turkey but he did love the muffin! For supper I made Jaxson’s most absolute favourite dinner. He requested chicken and broccoli or as he calls it “chicky and brocci”, whenever he requests this I always make him the Gardein “chicken” strips.” You can find them in most freezer aisles and they are a dead ringer for the real deal. Also damn good! Jaxson loves them and can’t tell the difference so I will always give the vegan option to him. I also made cauliflower tots because they’re also vegan and Jaxson and Ash both love them. They’re super easy to make and they definitely can replace your typical starchy potato tots or french fries.

Strawberries - Walmart
Kellog’s Flakes - Costco
Natura Vanilla Soy Milk - Superstore

Butterball Turkey Bacon - Costco
Jumbo Blueberry Muffins - Costco

Green Giant Veggie Tots - Walmart

Gardein Crispy Tenders - Walmart

Gardein Crispy Tenders
Cauliflower Tots
Broccoli with vegan butter and salt
Love Child Organics Purée Pouch

Snacks this week for the boys were typical. Veggies and fruit, cheese, breadsticks dipped in cheese, Veggie Straws and Goldfish and baby puffs and Cheetos (what I call baby Cheetos anyway lol). Jaxson’s fave veggies to snack on are sliced cucumbers, baby carrots, baby tomatoes and pickles. His favourite fruits are strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, bananas, oranges, apples and grapes. Although I think he would eat nearly anything that is colourful and sweet. Ash is starting to get better and better at eating whole fruits and veggies but for now I still offer the pouch to make sure he’s getting a variety in his diet and to get used to eating healthy options so he doesn’t grow up picky.

Pickles
Babybel
Kraft Dippers - Costco
Baby Carrots
Baby Tomatoes

Baby Cheetos

Tonight my mom has the kids because we are going to the Chef’s Ball so no meals posted from today but tomorrow I have a couple good ideas, I was thinking we would have a vegan day and I would try this Vegan stye minced Chorizo sausage to make either quesadillas or tacos. Probably quesadillas because it will be easier for the kids to eat. But I am so excited to see them because I always miss them so much while they are gone. But I am excited for a night out with hubby and to get all dolled up so I will enjoy it while I can. You can also follow me on Instagram ( @mommabat ) for more food updates and also stay tuned for an amazing foodie blog post on tonight’s Chef’s Ball!

Tofurky mince style Chorizo - Walmart

Momma and Kiddie Clothing Haul

Both my boys have been growing like weeds! It seems like every other week their clothes are getting tighter and shorter on their legs and arms. For Ash it’s okay because he has hand me downs for life with his big brother. I’m not going to lie, I have excellent taste and style when it comes to my boys. Myself, I think so as well although I’m sure some would question my sense of style lol, I am okay with that. But my boys are dressed so well. I like to support local and eco friendly clothing companies, but I also shop from places like The Gap, H&M and even Walmart. Certain stores have different things that I like to buy for them. Anyway Jaxson basically grew over night and now none of his clothing fits so I had to buy him all brand new jammies, pants, shirts and shoes. I also wanted to get a couple things for the upcoming spring and summer months and my Girls Trip coming up in May to Kelowna.

I ended up getting several things for Jaxson for his birthday and the upcoming months. I bought clothes in both 3T and 4T. I like to buy big because then it will last me longer and I don’t mind things fitting him baggy. I ended up getting him 2 pairs of pants, buffalo plaid and black and white striped harems, and matching shirts for Jaxson and Asher from local shop Quinn and Dot. She makes everything out of bamboo and it is so buttery and soft. I have several items from her shop and they are all still in the best condition after 2.5 years, 2 kids and multiple washes. I got Jaxson 4 pairs of pyjamas from The Gap. They have the cutest jammies ever! Cute characters and a good fit. They are a bit pricier but I think they are very worth it. Also from The Gap I bought Jaxson Star Wars loafers that will fit him immediately. I bought him Spider-Man Vans a size up, and I think I may have bought them too big, I may return them for a smaller size but they are the coolest shoes ever. I also bought him the most beautiful forest green Hunter rain boots I have ever seen. Again pricey, but worth it. They will last all my children and I will take good care of them. For myself I made a purchase from American Eagle Outfitters. I used to shop at AEO while I was a teenager and then stopped for many years because I thought it was juvenile and not my style anymore, just recently in the past couple years have started shopping there again. They have really simple but well made clothes that are always made with the best materials. I also love their Aerie line and body positivity. Anyway I bought 2 dresses, a t-shirt, kimono and a new bathing suit. The last thing I got for the 3 of us was matching pyjamas from Bambi and Birdie. Bambi and Birdie is similar to Quinn and Dot with the bamboo material. Buttery, velvety soooo soft. They are not Winnipeg based but they are from Vancouver and eco friendly. The pyjamas are moss green and mine says “mama” and the boys’ both say “mini.”

Hopefully everything lasts us longer than a few weeks. With the boys you never know. But I know at the very least most things can be passed down to Asher and if I do have another baby in the future to them too. I also know of a couple consignment shops that take nice stuff like Quinn and Dot and The Gap. So hopefully when we are really all done with everything I can make a bit of what I spent. Which wasn’t even that bad. And anyway only the best for my family and I. I can’t wait for some warmer weather so we can finally start enjoying our new clothes!

Spider-Man Vans - Sport Check size 11 (however I am going to be exchanging them for a smaller size, they are way too big)

Star Wars, Toy Story, Octopus Pizza pyjamas - The Gap size 4T
Shark rash guard and colour block swim trunks - The Gap size 3T
Star Wars slip on sneakers - The Gap size 10

High low pink striped dress - American Eagle Outfitters size large

Rain boots - Hunter Boots in forest green size 10

Black peasant style dress with pockets and buttons - American Eagle Outfitters size large
Button down crop top - American Eagle Outfitters size medium
Black paisley kimono - American Eagle Outfitters one size fits all
Black Cheeky Bottom One Piece with a Low Back - American Eagle Outfitters size Large

Matching Mama and Mini PJs - Bambi and Birdie in Aspen size 4T, Large and 12-18 months

Striped harem pants - Quinn and Dot size 4T
Red buffalo plaid harem pants - Quinn and Dot size 3T
Mustard yellow Raglan - Quinn and Dot size 4T and 12-18 months

Bambi and Birdie makes the cutest, coziest, most sustainable matching pyjama sets

New Tattoos from Bram Adey at Rebel Waltz

After having my miscarriage I wanted to be tattooed immediately. Unfortunately it doesn’t exactly work like that if you want to see a reputable and sought after artist. I have another appointment at the end of March with Sean Cushnie from Kapala to start my sleeve but that was too far away for me and I wanted something smaller and more simple as another part of the healing process. So I decided to book an appointment at Rebel Waltz with Bram Adey. He was able to get me in within a couple weeks so I was feeling pretty happy about that considering I thought it would take longer. He does do walk ins, but with 2 young kids and being the primary caregiver that probably wasn't going to happen for me.

Yesterday (Monday March 11th) I went to see Bram. I have seen his work from numerous people, to people who I worked with and even best friends of mine. He does “stick and poke” tattoos and his work is beautiful. Simple, black with perfect lines. I was intrigued to get stick and poke only because it was something different and I felt this situation was deserving of something different. I decided on a 6 inch bat for my forearm and a 6 inch echeveria succulent. I didn't even have a consult or see any drawings before getting them done I completely trusted him to do what he does and draw me up something amazing. Which he delivered on.

As always I was nervous before getting tattooed. I don’t know why, I suppose because it is painful but really in the grand scheme of things I have been through pain wise, it is like a walk in the park. I kinda like the pain of being tattooed anyway. I made my way down, Rebel Waltz is located on Notre Dame in the West End. Managed to get there 5 minutes before my appointment and we got right into it. He showed me the drawings, I loved them and he said he wanted to get started right away because stick and poke generally takes longer than using the tattoo gun.

The pain was very minimal. I can’t even believe I was nervous about it! I feel like the stick and poke method is less painful than with the gun, or maybe Bram is just that good at doing it. Either way it was almost pleasant, there were a couple times I probably could have closed my eyes and fallen asleep. He did my bat first and was finished in about an hour and a half I would say. Then we got started on my echeveria on my leg, this location definitely hurt more than my arm, but again not bad at all! He was finished that one in about an hour, so all in all the whole process was done in 2.5 hours. I was very shocked because I had anticipated longer and more painful. He wrapped them up for me and away I went. He suggested that I keep them bandaged until the morning so whereas I wanted to write this blog post last night I ended up waiting until I could get some good pictures.

I also feel a complete ending to all the awful things that have happened in the past month and a half. It’s funny how a little bit of pain and blood can be so healing. My echeveria specifically will always remind me of that little baby we never had. But it doesn't make me sad surprisingly just like that baby will always be a part of me. Memorialized into my skin. The month is moving fast and in a couple weeks I have my first appointment with Sean to start my sleeve. That one is booked into 3 appointments so I don’t imagine it will be nearly as easy and as pain free. I am expecting more but after this experience I am even more excited. The only thing that sucks about being tattooed is being out of the pool. But Bram said the stick and pokes may heal quicker so hopefully they do and I can get back into the water for a couple days before having to get out again. I will of course update when I start my sleeve on how that goes and how these 2 healed, but in the mean time enjoy these little pictures of my newest additions.

Bat done by Bram Adey from Rebel Waltz on my left forearm

Echeveria succulent done by Bram Adey from rebel Waltz on my right shin

Horror Women Fridays - Maila Nurmi

Maila Nurmi is an American actress who was best known for her role as “Vampira.” Vampira was based on the character “Morticia Addams” from the Addams Family. In fact she was dressed up as Morticia for a masquerade party at a party in LA and that’s how she was discovered, because she won the costume contest with her Morticia. Her character became a guest on many different television shows in the Los Angeles Area, and even had a couple parts in films. She was also the star of her own show briefly. There isn’t much to find online to watch the show but you can find some old youtube clips from certain movies and introductions to other movies that she did, either way the clips you can find of her really capture her beauty and essence. But her as the goth scream queen became a huge craze at the time and ultimately became a cult classic. She wasn't just beautiful but she had a comedic act and was really funny! It’s almost a shame that you can’t find more to watch because I would watch anything with her in it 100%. She definitely was one of the original scream queens and inspiration for other roles years later.

It’s easy to understand why I would love Vampira. She is absolutely gorgeous and just signifies everything that is spooky and sexy. Her cinched waist, the exaggerated makeup and nails are amazing. I have her picture over my bedside table and I look at it every day before I go to bed. She has inspired women everywhere and today for International Women’s Day I want to dedicate a tiny little post and my first post of my favourite actresses in Horror because I always feel they are underrated and under appreciated as some of the best actresses out there. I will be posting the actresses, their work, photos and why I love them. I also hope I can turn someone on to some good movies, only if you like horror because I understand not everyone does and it definitely take a certain person to absolutely be a die hard horror fan (myself).

Vampira with her signature pointy eyebrows

Chef's Lunch Hosted by Chaîne des Rôtisseurs - Date Afternoon

Jesse has been a part of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs for quite a few years but he and we have not really been to many events only because Jesse works often on days that the events were, or I would work, or I was busy being pregnant and raising kids as well. So basically I have never gone to a Chaîne event until Sunday. Jesse told me months ago about this lunch and that he had bought tickets for us and I just needed to be pretty and join his side. He would be cooking one of the courses and some hors d’oeurves, There would also be a lot of wine flowing. I obviously was excited and more than down to go.

Sunday was the day! Jesse dropped the kids off early enough in the morning because he had to work to prep some of his course still. We had to be there for 11:30 but I still wanted to get in a swim so I went early and even brought stuff to do my hair so I would have time to fit everything in. I managed to make it through my morning and even had a few minutes to spare before we had to leave. It’s one of the earliest date events we have ever had. We got there and nobody was there. I won’t lie I was a little nervous, I didn't know what to expect and I can sometimes be socially awkward. It also didn’t help that we were basically the first ones there. But the event was held at Breezy Bend Country Club. It was my first time there and it was really nice. The table was beautifully decorated and there was champagne handed out immediately. It was perfect to show up early though because I was able to snap some photos of the beautiful table before it was full of people. Jesse worked on his course. The way this lunch works is there are multiple courses and each course gets 3 chefs who make a dish for that course. The plates are rotated and that way everyone gets something different and you can all share amongst each other. Soon all the guests started arriving and Jesse came to join me. We chatted with some people, he knew most of them and he introduced me to everyone which was nice. We talked about the boys a lot.

Wednesday Dress - Amazon
Peacoat - Aritizia
Purse - Michael Kors
Knee Highs - Forever 21
Lipstick - Nyx Lingerie in Honeymoon

Each course was paired with 2 different bottles of very fine wine. Jim Jaworkski, who owns Kenaston Wine Market, brought several bottles to the table and explained why they would go well with this course. It was time for the first course. I personally got what I thought was going to be some type of game meat, oysters Adobo and a deep fried shrimp crisp thing. It turned out what I thought was meat actually ended up being eggplant, so my veg side was pleasantly surprised. Another dish was duck prosciutto, lonza, rabbit ballotine with garnishes. Another dish, not pictured was by Chef Norm Pastorin of the Grove, Cornerstone and Blackbird Brasserie, it was a Philipino style sausage with squash purée, a play on bangers and mash. The sausage was by far my favourite. The wine paired was Virginia Dare Chardonnay and Marqués D Irún Verdejo. I enjoyed the verdejo.

Charcuterie by Chef Barry Saunders from Smith

Graciously donated by Kenaston Wine Markets

Eggplant, oysters Adobo and crispy shrimp by Chef Rain Regalado from St. Charles Country Club

The second course we again were presented with 2 different bottles of wine to try with our next meal pairing. We had Domaine de la Begude Rosé and some type of red that I never got a picture of. I was presented with a bowl of corn, chipotle chicken and poblano pepper soup with feta cheese. It was so delicious I was very happy with my dish. Another dish was kabocha squash soup with foie gras and it came in these really neat copper pots that you poured the soup onto the foie gras. The last dish was corn and crab chowder with shrimp tempura.

Kabocha squash soup with foie gras by Chef Takashi Murakami

Corn, chipotle chicken and poblano pepper soup by Chef Denise Friesen from Denise and Jean-Louis Catering

Corn and crab soup and tempura by Chef Richard Tolentino from Southwood Country Club

The third course was the fish course. There were two salmon dishes and a sablefish dish as well. I had the salmon but didn’t really eat it because I don’t eat fish. One of the Salmon dishes was roasted salmon with horseradish, dill, sunflower, pickled onion, cucumber and buttermilk, this one is not pictured and it was by Jordan Carlson of JOEY restaurant. The sablefish was accompanied with a parsnip purée and a soy butter sauce. The second salmon dish my husband thoroughly enjoyed.

Sablefish by Chef Joseph Wojakowski from the Fort Garry Hotel

Salmon by Chef Jeff Cameron from the Breezy Bend Country Club

Lots of wine and people enjoying a minute between courses. All wine graciously donated by Kenaston Wine Market.

The fourth course was the main course. There was seared duck breast with foie gras and local carrots. I had the pork tenderloin with brussel sprout leaves and root vegetables. The last dish was a sous vide pork chop with quail egg yolks, mustard, squash purée and balsamic vinaigrette. It was paired with 2 more red wines. The only wine I got a photo of was the Château de Cénac Eulalie Cahors.

Pork chop by Chef Tim Palmer from The Fairmont

Wine donated graciously by Kenaston Wine Market

Pork loin by Chef Kyle Lew from Chew

Duck breast by Chef Klaus Leiendecker from Breezy Bend Country Club

There was a salad course courtesy of Chef Kristel Patsorin and Chef Albertino Costa, however they are not pictured because I was busy plating dessert with Jesse. Dessert was after salad and there were again 3 dishes. There was Panna Cotta with blackberry sauce, merengue and tuilles. The other dish was a playful version of Strawberry Shortcake. Jesse’s dessert was Pinolatta which is an Italian pine nut tart, that was garnished with blackberry powder, currant gel, mint syrup and winter truffle crème anglaise. My favourite was the Strawberry Cheesecake. Yummm!

Panna Cotta by Chef Heiko Duehrsen from Assiniboine Park Conservatory

Strawberry Shortcake by Chef Cameron Huley from Winnipeg Squash Club

Pinolatta by Chef Jesse Friesen from The Merchant Kitchen and Pizzeria Gusto

After dessert believe it or not there was more food. It was now time to indulge in a beautiful platter of different types of cheese. There was aged brie, Moliterno Pecorino, Stilton, maple flavoured Gouda, Saint André, Chimay Grand Cru with nuts and apricots. This was paired with a 12 year tawny.

Graciously donated by Marco Deluca from Deluca’s

It was so much delicious food! I am so lucky that I was able to be invited with my husband to this amazing, exclusive event that has been happening for the past 26 years. I met some really awesome people and obviously enjoyed more than enough food and wine. The wine was all generously donated from Jim Jaworski at Kenaston Wine Market. The chefs all worked hard to cook us exquisite meals for each course. It was a lot of fun! Special thank you to the chef hosts Takashi Murakami, formerly of St. Charles Country Club, and Klaus Leiendecker of Breezy Bend Country Club. I can’t wait to finally participate in more events.

New Moon in Pisces Ritual - Good Wishes and Intentions

There are some really ancient rituals that have been done for 1000s of years. A lot of different astrologers and healers use these types of things to help people with the difficulties of life. You can do a ritual for all kinds of different things but some popular times to commit to doing a ritual is during new moons, full moons and during the equinoxes and solstices. If you really enjoy doing them then you can start to do a ritual for other things you need in life. It can be very therapeutic. The power of manifestation is a crazy thing and that’s why these rituals are important.

The new moon moves into Pisces on March 6th at 10:05am. This new moon is also coinciding with a Mercury Rx in Pisces the day before. And Uranus in Taurus the following day. It’s going to be a big shift energetically and so it might be a good time to sit and make a list of intentions you would like to make for the next month. We set intentions for the month on the new moon to be clear and concise about what we like to achieve. The new moon in Pisces asks us to focus on our sensitivities and intuitive nature. Feel all the feelings, emotions and energies that are coming your way.

You have 3 days before the new moon to perform this ritual or 12 hours after.

1) Gather any and all supplies that you will need for the ritual. You can use sage to smudge beforehand, crystals you will need (moonstone and amethyst are good choices), a journal to write, a bowl to smudge in or burn intentions, a bowl of water and a candle.

2) Create yourself a special alter space for all the items that you have gathered. It doesn’t matter where your alter space is, it can be any table in the house or on the floor, wherever you feel most comfortable. Decorate with items such as crystals, plants, candles, things you find outside in nature like leaves or feathers, decorative table runners, anything you can really think of that seems appropriate.

3) Start by smudging your alter space and say a little prayer. It can be along the lines of “I respect mother moon and all she does for us. I take this time to set honest intentions. I manifest all that is good and bright and light. I have the power to change my future. I will let go all that no longer serves me. I am totally and completely alined spiritually. I am in tune with my higher powers. “ Write down your intentions or wishes. focus on them, meditate on them. What do you wish for your life? Can you actually picture these things happening to and for you in your life? The manifestation WILL NOT work if you truly don’t believe it. It’s important to be clear on what you want. You can doodle and make your intentions “pretty” or you can just be as simple as writing a list.

4) Light your candle and put your crystals in the bowl of water. You want to charge the water and cleanse yourself. At this point you will dip your hands in the water and wipe the water on your forehead, chest and throat. You take this time to cleanse yourself and expand your mind, heal your heart and communicate effectively (especially important with this mercury retrograde in Pisces). You can basically cleanse your entire body if you wish but I want to just start simply. Also add a couple drops of the water to your intentions, don’t worry about smudging them as you have already set those intentions into motion.

5) At this time you can take some time for yourself however you wish, further meditation, possibly a tarot reading if you do that, you can even enjoy a glass of wine (although I don’t really recommend it for a Pisces new moon because of the Neptunian energy). Tell the moon you love her, clean up your space and take the crystals to bed with you. You have just completed your new moon ritual.

I hope you guys enjoy doing this ritual and can find some peace or healing that you may be needing in life. I also hope that you manifest your deepest desires and this moon month goes exactly how you wish it to.

Mercury Retrograde in Pisces March 5, 2019

We are currently in the shadow of Mercury Rx. You might be feeling the energy already. Mercury the planet of communication. Mercury goes retrograde on March 5th and Mercury in general is not really at its peak in Pisces because of all the dreamy, watery, sensitive energy so we are going to be expecting even more confusion most likely. What is a retrograde? When a planet is retrograde it means it’s orbit is spinning backwards and spinning slower than usual. Mercury is fast paced and not used to this energy at all. Expect confusions, miscommunications, travel delays, technological breakdowns, and hold off on major purchases. This is a good time to focus on your intuitive nature and dreams. This is a time to get in touch with your third eye and psychic abilities. Open up to the unknown. Always follow your gut and intuition it’s crazy the things it can lead you to. Expand your mind! Take baths while getting in tune with yourself and drink lots of water. Pisces energy is very Neptunian and we watch our consumption of alcohol and drugs during this time. As always we must slow down and not make any rash decisions, in communication and personal matters. Please back up your computer and all of your work!!! Expect there to be a bit of confusion and make sure to triple check all forms of emails, social media and texts, even when you are speaking in person. Do not speak irrationally. Deception and gaslighting may be a thing that happens as well as unnecessary fights over nothing. Mercury will go direct on March 28th so we have a few weeks of this retrograde energy. Get ready friends! Not only this but this will be coinciding with the new moon in Pisces. SO much water energy! It’s crazy! But good. Let’s get in touch with ourselves and our emotions and flourish. But watch out because you may feel a little emo and like a sensitive little bitch.

Toddler and Baby Meal Inspo - Week #3 of February

Today Jesse is off to Calgary for a business meeting with his boss. So it’s just me and the kids for the next couple days but I am very much looking forward to spending some snuggly, hermit time with them. I am caught up on groceries and laundry so we are just going to have fun and mom is going to work on some things she has had wanted to accomplish for a while. Moon is in Capricorn so it is a good time to work on goals and achieving them.

Jesse left around 7:45am so he still had time to spend with us this morning before leaving. He made Jaxson' and Asher’s first breakfast which I believe for Jaxson was a slice of toast and strawberries and for Asher he also had some strawberries and muffin cut into tiny pieces. I did not get photos of these because dad is in charge of first breakfast. Asher also drank a bottle. We all said our goodbyes and then Ash went down for a nap not too much longer after that.

For second breakfast I made oatmeal with frozen blueberries and hemp hearts added and Jaxson’s had a drizzle of maple syrup whereas with Asher’s I added some of his purée pack. Jaxson also had a piece of turkey bacon and half of a healthy muffin that my mother in law. They are so yummy!

Quaker Instant Oats with Frozen Organic Blueberries and MB Hemo Hearts (Jaxson’s with maple syrup and Ash’s with Love Child Purée)
Butterball Turkey Bacon
Homemade muffin (not sure the name)
Pumpkin Plate - Home Sense
Apothecary Bowl - Home Sense
Dino Toddler Spoon - Skip Hop
Baby Spoon - Munckin

Hemp Hearts are amazing in lots of different types of smoothies, salads, yogurts, baby food, oatmeal and cereals. It has a ton of protein and is just an overall super food. I like these local Manitoba Harvest ones and you can get them at pretty much every single grocery store in the oat aisle.

For lunch I made a peanut butter and Saskatoon berry jam sandwich for Jaxson and Asher ate half a bun with peanut butter. The jam was made specially for us by a work associate of Jesse’s and damn is it good. It has actual whole Saskatoon berries and is incredibly yummy. I also added grapes and goldfish to Jaxson’s lunch and Asher got some yogurt bites with his as well. We still have chocolates leftover from Valentines day so Jaxson got his favourite Hershey Hugs.

Peanut Butter and Saskatoon Berry Jelly sandwiches on Kaiser Buns from Harvest Bakery, Asher’s is just peanut butter on half a Kaiser bun which I ended up eating most of but he did eat a few little pieces
Goldfish
Green Seedless Grapes
Hershey Hugs
Yogurt Bites
”EAT” Plate - Zuliliy
Apple Bento Box - Munckin

Both kids always surprise me whenever they finish eating because it makes me very happy that they enjoy the food I make for them and that they are eating and healthy and growing. I know they are growing because suddenly they both don’t fit any of there clothes. I am trying to get the last of the boys outfits before they both need to size up. I have done a good shopping haul for Jaxson for his birthday and I will post pictures when everything comes. Ash doesn’t really get anything new, sorry kid, because his brother’s hand me downs are still really nice. Good thing about buying, nice, quality clothes. After lunch we go upstairs and have a rest. We all have quiet time for a couple hours Both boys slept which makes me one happy momma. Once we get up it’s time for a snack before supper. Jaxson usually has veggie straws or gold fish in this time. Ash usually has a bottle and a couple baby Cheetos.

Veggie Straws - Jumbo bag from Costco
Baby Puffs and Mum Mum Rice Rusk- Walmart
Avent Natural Bottles - Babies R Us
360 degree Sippy Cup - Munchkin
Shark Bowl - Skip Hop
Baby Food Container - Babies R Us

Supper is after snack time. This usually requires a great deal of multitasking on my end especially if we aren’t having leftovers and i’m cooking something. Most of the time there’s already food prepped which makes life a lot easier for me and then I have my meals planned out. Jaxson is always great because he’s a pretty independent little dude and will play on his own, but Asher needs a bottle and to be changed and attention. For supper tonight I just needed to bake some broccoli in the oven. I usually bake it at 400F with a splash of olive oil, all seasoning salt, garlic and smoked paprika. Jaxson loves oven roasted veggies and broccoli is one of his favourites! I also had leftover turkey burgers stuffed with roasted veggies from supper the other night and some leftover cauliflower tots. I cut up the burger into bite sized pieces for my toddler and baby. Jaxson got spicy BBQ sauce on his, yes he also likes spicy food. I also cut up Asher’s tots into baby sized pieces and then arranged some organic fruit snacks onto Jaxson’s plate while Asher gets fruit purée. Voila. Supper is made and my boys gobbled every little bite up and enjoyed it. Which as we all know makes momma one happy lady!

Leftover Turkey Burgers - Jaxson had BBQ sauce on his and Ash had his plain.
Broccoli - oven roasted and seasoned from Walmart
Cauliflower Tots - Safeway
Organic Fruit Snacks - Costco
Love Child Organic Purée - Walmart
Apple Bento Box - Munchkin from Amazon

And that is it for the day. As usual I snack on the kids food during the day and then eat supper with them. Tonight it was broccoli and leftover turkey burgers with spicy BBQ sauce and Sriracha. All in all it was a healthy and productive day. Now off to finish your bottle Ashie.

Always,

Kari xoxo

Leftover Valentine flowers? DIY dried flower arrangement and rose water

I love getting fresh flowers. Jesse usually gets flowers on special occasions and some days “just because.” Although I love having real, fresh flowers it always is sad to see them wither and wilt away and then go into the trash. Recently I have started a less wasteful life (this will be a blog post for another day) and although it is difficult with 2 children there are certain changes you can do/make that do help out and make a difference. I recently came across a recipe for rose water which can be used for a multitude of uses but it makes a really good natural facial toner. So I said to myself next time I got roses I would attempt the recipe. On top of that I love the look of dried, dead flowers. They make beautiful arrangements and when hung upside down a unique statement for your home decor. So today this blog post will be about how I made my rose water and what I did to make my dried flower arrangement. Just an idea for you to use next time you get pretty flowers.

DIY Rose Water:

Rose Water is amazing. It has a great deal of antioxidants. You may have seen it in several different types of skin care. It makes a great natural toner however rose water has a multitude of uses. From cooking to skincare to overall mood enhancement. You can add it to tea to help with headaches and sore throats. Whatever you need it is always good to have a jar of this lying around.

1) Take off several rose heads. I cut them from the top of the stem and most of them were still alive but not looking so great. I used some that were also pretty dead looking, with brownish petals

2) Take all the petals off the flower stem and add to a bowl

3) Run the petals under luke warm water to make sure they’re nice and clean

4) Add to a pot of 1.5L of distilled water (you can realistically use real water) bring to a boil on medium heat and then lower once it starts boiling

5) Simmer for 20-30 minutes

6) Strain the petals out of the pot and then add the water into a glass jar for safe keeping

When making a facial toner add 1-2 tablespoons of the rosewater and enough distilled water to fill a spray bottle. You can use whatever spray bottle you have and even better to save an old one that was used for your previous facial spray. As long as it’s been properly washed out it’s just another thing that you don’t need to throw out.

The petals pulled off their stems ready to be boiled.

The finished product! Dark pink because of the colour of rose petals I used.

Simmer on low and then strain and add to your favourite jar.

Now for the homemade dried flower arrangement this is fairly simple. All you need to do for this is to take out the flowers you want, take off any leaves from the flower stems, but you can also use greenery in addition to the dried flowers to really make them pop. You can cut them if need be to whatever size you desire but leave at least 6 inches of stem. Tie the flowers you want with either a string or rubber band. Place them in a cool and dark place OUT OF SUN, and this is the key part to preserving the colour in the dead flowers. A good place, is an attic or basement or a closet. Leave the flowers for 2-3 weeks. Once my flowers are ready to be used I plan to decorate them in the kitchen with my plants and art piece Jesse had commissioned for me for Christmas. I place to hang them upside down and they will make a nice little addition. They also seem so romantic and gothic to me. It might not be for everyone to decorate with old, dead flowers but I think it’s very pretty and it’s nice to not waste something so beautiful.

So there you have it! 2 different things that you can do with your dead flowers. I am sure there is more, like potpourri and what not. But these are the ones that I like so I thought I would share for anyone who doesn't feel like wasting their flowers. Enjoy!

Always,

Kari xoxo